Impossibly Yes
by Namidaga Ochiru
Summary: "Sakura, do you love me?" His grip on her wrists tightened as she answered him. "Impossibly... yes. Sasuke-kun, I'm in love with you."
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

*Normal/Flashback POV*

"Sasuke-kun!" The dark-haired boy turned to see a flash of pink before something hit him. His arms instinctively circled the girl that careened into him.

"Sakura," he muttered, catching his balance at the last second. Green eyes looked up at him through dark lashes, sparkling with joy and amusement. A gap-toothed smile lit her face, and she giggled.

"Did I surprise you?" She asked innocently, unaware of the affection in the Uchiha heir's eyes. Hers danced, happy just to be near him.

"Hn." His low grumble made her pout, and she tripped as she tried to speed around him. His arms caught her and steadied her. "Be more careful, Sakura. I don't want you to be hurt." His last sentence was a whisper that she didn't catch.

"Sasuke-kun, I'm almost always careful. But if you ask me to, I'll be more careful!" Grinning fully, she spun around in a swirl of skirts and pink hair, losing her balance again. Again, Sasuke caught her.

"Baka." But that's why I care.

*Sakura's POV*

"Sakura, we're going to be late soon." The soft voice drew me out of my memories. Looking up from my hands, which cradled a locket, I saw him, dressed in the dark clothing he always wore, looking back at me. His hair stood up in spikes, a few strands falling to frame his face. His pale skin glowed slightly in the weak sunlight.

"I'm coming, Sasuke-kun." I picked up my pace and reached his side, adjusting my stride to walk beside him. I pushed a strand of my long pink hair behind my ear, and glanced down to make sure my school uniform wasn't wrinkled or messy from the bench that Sasuke and I had shared in the morning.

The black fabric, with its red sash at my waist, shone slightly under the filtering sunlight. The dress ended at my knees, and black tights led into my dark school shoes. My neckline was low, but supported with a red camisole from beneath. Satisfied with the appearance of my attire, I appraised Sasuke.

He was perfection personified. Not a wrinkle in sight, he was everything I longed for. He would never know unless I told him. I wasn't noted for my quiet, mysterious personality due to a tendency to blurt out important information.

Realizing that I had stopped, I raced to his side again, but I tripped, flying into him and knocking him to the side as I careened towards the ground. I closed my eyes, bracing myself for the impact. It never came.

Opening my eyes, I looked in shock at Sasuke, who held me gently in his arms. "S-Sasuke-kun... arigatou. Gomenasai... I'm always making you worry." I closed my eyes as tears welled up, blurring my vision.

"Sakura..." His whisper of my name was laced with surprise, and light affection touched his tone, mixed with sadness. I felt his arms tighten, holding me close as I cried. Eventually, I stopped my tears, hiccuping a few times. His fingers lightly skimmed my back, comforting me. "It's that day, isn't it?" His soft voice tugged at my heart. I nodded against his shirt, and he sighed. "Gomenasai, Sakura... do you want to skip today?"

I felt my eyes pop wide, and looked at him in shock. "B-but... our classes..." I blinked hard when I felt his hand touch my cheek. My eyes closed on their own accord, and I opened them reluctantly.

"I have our assignments, Sakura. It's okay to miss a day after perfect attendance for 9/10 of the year. It's okay." He whispered into my hair, making pleasant shudders race down my spine. Sasuke noticed. "Come on, it's cold out here. Let's go back now."

Standing, my knees buckled and I fell. Sasuke caught me, again, and, to my shock, picked me up, carrying me in his arms to his home. It was silent, as usual. A wave of sadness crashed over me. His parents had died, along with mine, in the tragic fire that consumed Konoha years ago. I curled up in his arms, burying my head in his shirt and letting my shoulders shake. My fists, with a mind of their own, clenched his shirtfront in their grasp, and Sasuke held me a bit closer.

When we got to his room, I loosened my grip on him, resting my head lightly against his chest, and prepared for the moment when he would put me down. Surprising me, he didn't put me on my own feet. He laid me on his bed, gently disentangling my fingers from him, and sat next to me. Rolling, I looked up at him, tears still streaming down my face. Softly, almost imperceptibly, he stroked my hair, trying to calm me down.

"I... I miss them. I still can't let them go... I still dream that they're alive, that Sasori and I aren't alone in this world... That we're a family again, a real one that doesn't live with ghosts." I kept my voice soft, knowing he could hear me, but not wanting to disturb the silence of the house. "I wish... I wish I could bring them back. I wish I'd had my healing power back then... but I didn't. I couldn't save them. ANY of them. It's my fault..." I sat up, hiding my face in my hands as fresh tears streamed down my face. "I got my power when I was burned, and when you were almost dead... I couldn't save them though. WHY?! Why couldn't I have gotten my power when my mother caught? When your father charged into the blaze to catch them? Why..." Miserable, I sobbed into my arms, putting them around my knees, drawn up into my chest.

I started when I felt a pair of warm arms encircle me. I leaned back against my best friend, who'd been there to support me for my whole life. I still kept my face hidden in my hands, even as I leaned my lower back against his torso. His arms crossed over my waist, pulling me back further against him, and I could detect his own sadness through barely perceptible shaking. His head sank to my shoulder, and hidden tears soaked into my dress. Forgetting my own sorrows, I turned in his arms, until his head rested on my other shoulder, against the curve of my neck. I wrapped my arms around him and held him tightly, letting him cry on me, as I'd cried on him.

He went still when I moved my hands from his back to his shoulder and neck, stroking his hair softly as he silently bore his pain. After a few moments of agonizing lack of movement, I whispered in his ear, "Sasuke-kun, it's okay. This is what friends are for. You let me cry on you; now it's your turn. This is a sad reminder for the both of us." Daring to move closer, I pressed a kiss to the spot where his shoulder met his neck. "I'll always be here for you to cry with. I'll always support you, Sasuke-kun. That's what best friends do for each other... they stay together and help one another." His head fell back to my shoulder, and he shuddered for a few more moments before he raised his head again.

"Arigatou, Sakura... I'm sorry you had to see that." His voice was thick, and my heart twisted. I raised his head to my eye level and placed my hands on his shoulders. "It's all right, Sasuke-kun. You saw my weak side; now I've seen yours. It's a fair trade. And I didn't mind seeing that side of you... it makes you stronger." I whispered the last sentence, but his keen ears caught it anyway.

"Sakura..." His tone was laced with shock, but his eyes sparkled with an emotion that I'd only seen a few times in our lives. I leaned my head against his shoulder again, and felt him do the same. However, his lips gently pressed a kiss to my collarbone. I closed my eyes, feeling that I was exactly where I was supposed to be.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

_*Normal POV/Dream POV*_

_The buildings were burning. One by one, they caught and succumbed to the inferno blazing through Konoha. Six-year old Sakura stared at the 'pretty lights' travelling from one building to another in awe. Tugging her brother's sleeve, she pointed to the window excitedly... right when their home caught fire._

_Sasori pulled Sakura away from the window as it exploded from the heat and licking flames. Sakura cried out as a piece of glass embedded itself in Sasori's arm, close to his shoulder. Smoke permeated the air, and Sasori coughed. The sound made Sakura drag her older brother to the backdoor._

_As they exited the house, a burning beam collapsed on Sakura's foot. Screaming as the flames licked her shoe, she saw her mother racing forward, not caring that she ran into the flames. Her mother's eyes blazed with determination to help her child, even as the flames touched her hands. Her eyes grew tight, fighting the pain, and she lifted the beam off of her child even as the fire touched her dress. Giving a tired smile, she sank to her knees, her mouth opening in a silent scream as she caught on fire._

_Mikoto raced up with a child in her arms; Sasuke-kun, from the next house over. Seeing Mebuki on the floor, she also raced into the blazing house, trying to drag Mebuki off the ground, but the roof collapsed._

_Sakura couldn't see anything; she was crying too hard. She heard burning wood and screams, and then she was pushed aside by Fugaku as he tried in vain to reach his wife. The flames cracked and sparked._

*Sakura's POV*

I woke with a start, tears still streaking down my cheeks. I turned my face downwards, burrowing into the dark material beneath me. My tears soaked through, and I felt my 'pillow' move. My body jerked in shock, but relaxed when familiar arms circled me and stroked my hair, calming me down. "Sasuke-kun... I'm so sorry..." I whimpered, pushing myself away and curling into a ball. I curled in on myself when I felt him move. "I'm sorry..." My mantra of apologies was cut short when Sasuke got up and picked me up with him.

"Sakura, stop apologizing. You have nothing to be sorry for... You couldn't help the timing. We were six. We couldn't do anything to help." His fingers brushed lightly over my left ankle, where a small patch of burned skin resided from that memory. I shuddered, partly in disgust at myself, and partly at pleasure from his very touch. "We couldn't help it... we were too young to understand what was going on."

I closed my eyes, immediately regretting it. Violent images of swirling fire and screaming, lit bodies filled my head. I saw the whole thing again, smelled the burning flesh, and felt the searing of the fire on my leg. I couldn't help it. I screamed.

*Sasuke's POV*

Sakura screamed, her body jerking in my arms, and I started. Tightening my arms around her, I didn't know what to do. She started to blindly struggle, reaching for someone or something, trapped in a memory. I saw her glazed eyes and knew that she was having another memory. Pinning her against the wall, I wrapped my arms around her, murmuring sweet, random words into her ear, trying to calm her down. Eventually, her movements stilled, and I became aware that she was asleep again.

I laid her down on the bed, checking the time as I did so. 12:43 AM. It was too early to be having one of these fits again... I worried subconsciously about her as I sat beside her. The long pink hair she prided swirled against my dark sheets, and I tucked it behind her ear as I felt my eyes soften. Laying beside her, I pulled her against my chest, holding her securely. It was the weekend; no one would notice or care. Murmuring one last thing into her ear, I fell asleep next to her. _Sakura, I love you._


End file.
